Conversations With The Dead
by Ultimate Thorny Rose
Summary: This one-shot is the sequel to I'll Fight For You and the final installment in the series of stories following Only The Beginning. While dreaming, Clove has conversations with some people that she knows, and they just so happen to be dead. AU. Disclaimer: I only own my OCs.


Living people could have conversations with dead people when they dreamt. That's what Clove and Cato had been told by an old woman in the Victor's Village marketplace who had sold them oranges today. They didn't know whether to believe her or not.

Clove fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow that night, Cato sleeping right beside her. She dreamt of the house that she grew up in, back in District 2. She didn't know why she was dreaming of this place, but she was.

* * *

><p>Clove was sitting on the porch, watching the stars. It wasn't a cold night, nor was it warm. People couldn't feel the temperature in dreams.<p>

Clove's father, Brandon Hartley, appeared on the porch in front of her. He just randomly popped up out of nowhere.

"Hi Clove." He said.

Brandon was the same age Clove currently was when he died in the Second Quarter Quell. He was wearing the clothes he had been wearing in the Arena. His face was clear of scars, bruises, and anything else along those lines. When a person dies, all their scars, bruises, and anything else along those lines go away.

"Hi dad." Clove said.

"I've been watching over you. I'm very proud of you." Brandon said.

"Thank you." Clove said.

"You named one of your daughters after your sister. That was very nice of you." Brandon said.

"She looked like an Iris." Clove said. "So that's what I decided to name her."

"It's a nice name." Brandon said. "I've always liked it. And so did your mother. That's why we named your sister Iris."

"You know, mom wasn't the same after you died. She would constantly go to the bar and drown her sorrows in alcohol. She always hated alcohol before then. Something about you dying must have changed her mind and made her like alcohol." Clove said.

"Some people have difficulty dealing with death, Clove." Brandon said. "I never did, but a lot of other people have."

"I don't have difficulty dealing with death. When you and Iris died, I cried, but I never dwelled on it. I moved on with my life. Mom, on the other hand, wasted hers away, going to that bar. Do you watch over her too? Is she dead?" Clove asked.

"No, Amber is not dead." Brandon said, referring to Clove's mother. "She is very much alive. She goes to the bar in District 2, day in and day out. She's probably not going to be alive for long. Too much alcohol is bad for you."

"Everyone knows that. Everyone knows that smoking is bad for you too. Yet some people drink too much and smoke too much. It doesn't make any sense." Clove said.

"There are some things that people will never understand. Like why some people smoke too much or drink too much. Or how President Snow can be so sadistic that he finds enjoyment in sending people to their deaths." Brandon disappeared after that statement.

* * *

><p>Clove's sister, Iris Hartley, appeared on the porch in front of her. She just randomly popped up out of nowhere.<p>

"Hi Clove." She said.

"Hi Iris." Clove said.

"I've been watching over you. I'm very proud of you." Iris said.

"Thank you." Clove said.

"I've been watching over you." Iris said. "I'm so thrilled that my little sis has such a good life. A nice husband. A nice house. And two beautiful daughters."

"My life is good." Clove said.

"Thank you for naming one of your daughters after me." Iris said.

"She looked like an Iris." Clove said. "So that's what I decided to name her."

"You and Cato are a good match." Iris said.

"Yeah, we are." Clove said.

"How is he, anway?" Iris asked.

"Cato? He's good. And so are our daughters." Clove said.

"Good, good." Iris said.

"So, what do people do in the afterlife?" Clove asked.

"We watch over people. We watch over people we love, people we were once friends with, and people we hate. We are very aware of what's going on in the world of the living. I fucking hate President Snow. I wish people would rebel against him and make the Hunger Games stop." Iris said.

"I don't think anyone will have the guts to rebel against the Capitol again." Clove said.

"You never know. People can suprise you." Iris disappeared after that statement.

* * *

><p>Katniss Everdeen appeared on the porch in front of Clove. She just randomly popped up out of nowhere.<p>

"Hello Clove." She said.

"Hello Katniss." Clove said. "I have to say, it's suprising that you came here to talk to me. I mean, I did kill you, after all. Shouldn't you be off plotting your ghostly revenge?"

"The dead can sense living people's emotions. Nobody knows why, but they can. You think that I hate you. I don't. You had to kill me to survive. That's the way the Hunger Games work. It's kill or be killed. Also, I'm against revenge. I'm not going to do any harm from the other side." Katniss disappeared after that statement.

* * *

><p>Glimmer appeared on the porch in front of her. She just randomly popped up out of nowhere.<p>

"Hi Clove." She said.

"Hi Glimmer." Clove said.

"I'm glad you and Cato are married. You two are a good match. Just like me and Marvel. The dead can sense people's emotions, and we can feel emotions ourselves. Marvel and I are very much in love." Glimmer said.

"I'm happy for you guys." Clove said.

"Thanks. I'll tell Marvel you said that." Glimmer said.

"How is he, anyway?" Clove asked.

"Marvel? He's good. And so am I." Glimmer said.

"That's good." Clove said.

"I'm so glad that scars, bruises, and everything else along those lines goes away when you die. I would not be too happy if I spent the rest of my life covered in stings from Tracker Jackers." Glimmer said.

"Nobody would be." Clove said.

"I wonder what caused Snow to become so sadistic." Glimmer said. "Something really terrible has to happen to someone to cause them to become like him."

"Maybe nothing happened to cause Snow to become the man he is. Maybe he's always been like that. If that's not the case, and something did cause him to end up the way he is, I don't think anyone's gonna find out what that is." Clove said.

"Well, I should go. I'm missing my Marvie-poo." Glimmer disappeared after that statement.

* * *

><p>The next morning, Clove woke up and got ready for the day. She remembered everything from last night's dream.<p>

_Marvie-poo? _She thought, amused. _Death didn't change Glimmer at all._

THE END


End file.
